NENA Mourns the Passing of Bill Stanton

It is with great sadness that NENA announces the passing of William E. "Bill" Stanton, the association's first full-time executive director. Bill spent more than forty years in the service of 9-1-1, beginning as the 9-1-1 service manager with Ohio Bell in the early 1980’s, then serving on the NENA board and becoming NENA’s first full-time executive director in 1989. Bill was instrumental in the establishment of the Emergency Number Professional (ENP) certification and advocated for NENA to open a legislative office in Washington, DC to address federal rules, policy. and legislation. He promoted the advancement and implementation of numerous 9-1-1 systems and appeared before Congress promoting legislation and regulation of 9-1-1 issues. During his tenure, NENA grew from 1,500 members to more than 6,000 with chapters throughout the US and Canada. The William E. Stanton Lifetime 9-1-1 Achievement Award was named in his honor, with Bill being the first recipient in 1999. He is also a member of the NENA Hall of Fame.